R I P R A PThe KIAP-TU-WISH CHAPTER’s

almost monthly publication

Volume 13 l Issue 9May 2020

DON’T FORGET: • Visit the K-TU website & Facebook page

for news, announcements & updates.• The next RipRap deadline is

Friday, August 14, 2020.• Send info to: econ4664@gmail.com

RIPRAP: Restoration, Improvement & Preservation through Research And Projects

The Drift: Words from our President.

{continued on page 2}

Conserve. Protect. Restore.

ONLINE via ZOOMWednesday, May 6, 2020

Our May 6th Chapter Meeting is going to be held online via Zoom. You'll hear updates on chapter activities, stream survey info and stream restorations.

Watch for an email including the agenda and link to join the meeting. We hope to see you!

Robins, pussy willows, bloodroot, blooming round-lobed hepatica, drumming yellow-bellied sapsuckers, fresh-cut alfalfa, dandelions, screaming—oweeEEEK!—wood

ducks , busy chipmunks and gobbling turkeys. All sights, sounds and a few familiar smells of spring, and all signs of hope in the world after a long, grey winter and what seems like years of dealing with coronavirus. Spring is here and happening in our very midst! But first, here are a few important items since our last in-person chapter meeting.

Board Elections: Since we had to cancel our April Chapter Meeting (which serves as our annual business meeting) we weren’t able to have board elections. This year, we had two board members (Perry Palin and Maria Manion) who completed their board terms and two chapter members (Dustin Wing and Scot Stewart) who were nominated for three-year terms. Our chapter bylaws allow the board to appoint new board members to fill spots that are vacated between annual business meetings, and given these circumstances, the Kiap-TU-Wish board elected Dustin Wing and Scot Stewart to serve one-year terms. This will fill the vacant board seats for now and give chapter members the opportunity to vote on extending the terms for these candidates at the first available opportunity, which will be next year’s Annual Business Meeting. Welcome to the Board, Dustin and Scot!

Departing Board Members: New board members joining also means prior board members leaving. This is always a bittersweet occurrence for me after having worked, played and gotten to know departing board members over the previous three to six years. We’re a pretty close board. We meet every month and members communicate frequently between board meetings. Sure, we don’t agree about everything and occasionally have long, spirited discussions, but we all share a common love for our coldwater resources and normally, with the support of and input from chapter members like yourself, we come to a consensus on most things. Departing board members this year are Maria Manion (who was RipRap's editor and wrote grants for the Kinni's Red Cabin project) and Perry Palin (who served as our Polk County outreach coordinator and seat of wit and wisdom). Maria is a design professional, a dedicated volunteer, an ardent fly fisher, and a good person who is simply a pleasure to work with. As editor of RipRap for the past six years, Maria’s finished product each month IS Kiap-TU-Wish for 70% of our nearly 400 members who can’t attend chapter meetings or other chapter activities. And what does one say about Perry? In addition to being a tireless advocate for his beloved Trout Free Zone, or TFZ as Perry refers to it, he is probably one of the most experienced

Please send potential RipRap articles and photos to our new editor, Ed Constantini. It’s more important than ever to stay connected. With your contributions, RipRap will help us do that.

2 | RIPRAP MAY 2020

{The Drift. . . from page 1}and talented fly fishers and fly tiers in the chapter, if not in the state. For at least 10-12 years, Perry has tied boxes of flies that are given out as door prizes in honor of his friend, Dry-Fly Dick Frantes. Perry has also made use of his career in human resources and labor negotiations to give the board the long view on dealing with issues we face from time to time. Perry helped organize our annual chapter meetings in Polk County for our “northern” members, and even helped teach a few of us how to fish. But most of all, we will miss Perry’s dry wit, his gift for story-telling and his dogged insistence that there aren’t any trout north of Highway 8, in his beloved TFZ! Thank you Maria and Perry for your service. Our chapter is better because of it.

Spring Appeal: By now you’ve probably noticed that you didn’t receive your annual Spring Appeal donation request. The Spring Appeal Committee had everything ready to go when the coronavirus stay-at-home orders hit. The committee recommended, and the board agreed, that it just wasn’t appropriate for us to be asking for money when some members were without work, others were watching their retirement savings plummet and still others might have been sick. You’ve all been very generous

with your donations in the past and will be again in the future. So for right now we’re going to rely on your past generosity to carry forward our shared coldwater conservation mission.

May Chapter Meeting with WIDNR via ZOOM: Last but not least is our May chapter meeting with the WIDNR. This is normally the best-attended chapter meeting of the year, because Nate Anderson talks about past and future habitat projects AND Kasey Yallaly shares her trout survey data from the past year. Nothing gets our membership to chapter meetings like the possibility of finding new places to fish! We just couldn’t forgo this meeting, so we’re going to have a virtual meeting via Zoom. In case you haven’t heard of it, Zoom is a free app that allows for group meetings of up to 100 participants to take place from your computer or smartphone. You can even dial in and participate in a Zoom meeting from an analog phone. It really isn’t that hard to do. Believe it or not, even I can Zoom! Social media professional and chapter member Chad Borenz will set up the meeting and make sure it is secure. He will also send us a Zoom meeting link; the first 100 people who click on the link can enter the meeting. Kasey Yallaly and Nate Anderson will present over

Zoom and you will be able to see their screens on your computer or smartphone. I'm also guessing Kasey and Nate will be willing to email you their presentations after the Zoom meeting. PLEASE NOTE: In order to attend the Zoom meeting, you will need to (1) DOWNLOAD AND (2) INSTALL ZOOM BEFORE YOU (3) CLICK ON CHAD’S ZOOM MEETING LINK.

And now back to the first robin, pussy willows, spring wild flowers, noisy wood ducks and gobbling turkeys. All of these remind us that SPRING IS REALLY HERE! We really did make it through the long, grey winter and the world around us really is springing to new life again. In some ways, the coldwater resources we’ve worked so hard on for so long are doing better than some of us are doing this spring. My dad used to say, “Hope springs eternal in the human breast!” He would say it partly in jest, with an Irish twinkle in his eye, but he was partly serious, too. He said it to encourage us to take heart and to have some hope, when we were discouraged about something going on with friends or at school. I believe we can all take heart in the natural signs of spring happening around us right now. And in the meantime, get out there and fish! —Scott Wagner

Opening day on the Kinni in 1954 from the WIDNR archives. Photo courtesy of the WIDNR

RIPRAP MAY 2020 | 3

CANCELLED: Fly Fishing For Trout ClinicDue to the insidious nature of the COVID-19 virus, we made the decision to cancel this year's Fly Fishing for Trout clinic in River Falls. Originally scheduled for June 6th, we'll make another run at it next year. Thanks to the many folks who volunteered to help; it's a huge source of pride for me to know that Kiap-TU-Wish steps up. Thanks for you patience during these weird times. —Mike Alwin

Trout in the Classroom Update Trout in the Classroom came to an abrupt end this year with schools closing due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Bugs in the Classroom, usually held at the end of April, had to be can-celled as well, including the Rocky Branch Elementary Eco Day. At least all the classes got to experience the egg hatching, fry feeding, and fish tank monitoring for temperature and am-monia levels. In six classes, the teachers released their fry in the Willow River while recording the event to share digitally with their students. Two classes trained the custodians to look after the fry in their absence in hopes that they can release the fish when they return in the fall. This is something that has not been attempted before and I am curious to see how big the fry get by September. Stay tuned! —Greg Olson

30% ConservationActivities such as clearing and burning brush, mulching, seeding, etc.

2019 Kiap-TU-Wish Volunteer HoursEach year our chapter is required to submit an annual report to the national TU organization. The report outlines our revenue, expenses, assets, and more. One of the items in the report is a summary of our volunteer hours. For the chapter's 2019 fiscal year, Kiap-TU-Wish volunteers logged a total of 5,218 hours. Here's the breakdown.

13% Science & MonitoringActivities such as stream monitoring on the Trimbelle or Kinni

3% AdvocacyActivities such as participation in Kinni Corridor Planning10% Communications

Activities such as the website or newsletter

20% Management & GeneralActivities such as board meetings

or organizing chapter meetings

12% Youth Education & OutreachActivities such as Trout in the

Classroom, Bugs in the Classroom, or presentations at local schools

4% EngagementActivities such as participation

at the Great Water Fly Expo or the River Falls Fly Fishing Clinic

8% FundraisingActivities such as our holiday

conservation banquet or spring appeal

Editor's NoteAs I’m sheltering-at-home in Minneapolis,

my fishing has been limited to checking Instagram posts by friends who live close to the rivers, and watching fly-tying or Trout in the Classroom release videos. Kiap isn’t the only chapter whose classrooms have had to release their trout early. Search “2020 Trout in the Classroom releases” on YouTube and you’ll find many videos of classrooms all across Wisconsin that are freeing their trout earlier than expected. My favorite of these is from one of Kiap’s classrooms in River Falls.

It shows the whole release—from tank to stream—and the fish get a celebratory send off when one of the teachers sings and plays the ukulele. We’re hoping to get this video posted to our Facebook site, so watch for it.

Now for the big news: I’m thrilled to introduce RipRaps’s new editor, Ed Constantini! I met Ed via email in 2016 when he sent me a poem from his father-in-law’s fishing scrapbook. I was terribly excited when Ed expressed interest in editing RipRap. He is a thoughtful, kind man who is

passionate about our chapter and the work we do—and fishing! Plus, he’s also got a lot of experience putting publications together, so we can look forward to a RipRap filled with his enthusiasm for our people and the places we love. Welcome, Ed!

Finally, many, many thanks to all who have helped produce RipRap—of which there are more people than can be listed here. Special thanks, though, to Bob Bradham who has generously donated paper and printed the newsletter for the past six years (any many more before that). What a gift in these digital times to have a hard copy newsletter in the hand. We would not have this without him. [Short story: When I first started working on the newsletter, my predecessor, Greg Meyer, gave me Bob's email address. I inverted his name, and for some time (a long time) referred to Bob as "Brad." I realized my error after awhile, but I often found myself, as I still do now, starting my email with "Hi Brad." Sorry Bob!]

It was a joy to be part of the RipRap team and to work with so many committed and talented chapter members. (Check out the volunteer hours below!) I hope to see many of you at future events or on the stream.

—Maria Manion

30+13+3+10+8+4+12+20

4 | RIPRAP MAY 2020

Meet Ed Constantini who will become the next editor of this newsletter.

Ed says he had been thinking about the idea of responding to Maria Manion’s request for a new editor and recently decided that he had the skills and time. Maria has been the newsletter editor for six years, and as a member and contributor I have seen it grow better each year. I also know that it is a huge job and I share her enthusiasm for what Ed brings to the task.

Ed brings a long history of fly fishing to the job. He remembers beginning to fly fish while still in high school in the early 60’s. ”I would cast off the dock with an old rod at my friend's cabin and catch some pan fish.” But fly fishing was not a big part of Ed’s life as he earned his biology degree from St. Thomas College and then was drafted into

the Army while working on his Masters in Education. The Army trained him to be a lab tech and he spent a year at Fort Benning, Georgia, and a tour in Vietnam at a convalescent hospital.

Ed met Suzanne at Fort Benning. They were fortunate to see each other a few times in Vietnam, and after Suzanne finished her Army commitment at the Presidio in San Francisco, they married and settled in the Twin Cities.

While living in Robbinsdale, Ed occasionally fished on the Willow River and took a few casting classes. “But I didn’t have a mentor and so it was an infrequent pastime. I really became serious about it when we moved to Stillwater in 1987.” He heard about Bob Mitchell’s Fly Shop, stopped by, bought a rod, and was given six

flies by Bob’s wife Jean. Bob also pointed out a few sports on the Kinni. “I went out one day, caught five trout, and was hooked!”

Ed became involved in Kiap-TU-Wish in the early 80’s, but was not a member again until about ten years ago. Over the years he has become more avid about fishing. Along the way he convinced Suzanne to take it up as well and they now look forward to fly fishing vacations in Utah and Idaho. Suzanne also became more active in the Chapter after retirement and serves on the board as Chapter Treasurer.

Ed retired in 2014. A main part of his job for the last 14 years of his career involved writing an annual report for the Federal Government based on outcomes of research data from Medicare patients with kidney disease. He gained valuable experience using the desktop publishing program that Maria uses for the newsletter. This knowledge may have been the final push for him to answer Maria’s plea for a new editor. ”I’m retired, I have the time and it looks like an exciting new challenge,” says Ed.

Even if you don’t save old newsletters it is evident that Maria has made the newsletter more attractive, accessible, and interesting. She actively recruited writers and many wrote with regularity. She turns over an excellent publication. Ed’s skill with design and knowledge of the Chapter encourages him to look for ways to expand. “As I thought about accepting the job, I’ve been soliciting ideas from members and fishing friends about ways we might grow.”

Ed notes that while the chapter membership is over 300, the monthly chapter meetings draws only about 50-75 members regularly. To inform the larger membership about what the Chapter does, Ed hopes to include more information from the board. Another idea is to have more in-depth articles on the science of stream restoration and how the efforts of our Chapter’s volunteers eliminating buckthorn, box elders and other non-desirable plants relates to additional restoration work done by the Wisconsin DNR .

Ed clearly brings time, enthusiasm and skills to his new job. He encourages anyone with an idea to get in touch with him over the summer. He’d love to have more articles than necessary for his first issue as editor in September.

"Ed’s skill with design and knowledge of the Chapter encourages him to look for ways to expand. 'As I thought about accepting the job [of RipRap editor], I’ve been soliciting ideas from members and fishing friends about ways we might grow.' "

Meet Ed by Judy Mahle Lutter

Ed Constantini photo

RIPRAP MAY 2020 | 5

TALES FROM AN EXPERT NOVICE: by Jennifer Medley

Essential to Me (and Dad)

Jennifer Medley photo

When my dad invited me to go fly fishing with him during this health

crisis, it felt so vital to my well-being that I could not decline. Our family happened to be out, driving around, when he texted me about fishing. I had to hurry back home, get the groceries sanitized, grab some lunch, make a pot of coffee, find my rod, reel and hip boots, download my half of the spousal fishing license—with inland trout stamp (I miss the old, actual trout stamps...)—and get to the stream to meet Dad.

When I asked him where we were going, Dad said “El Paso.” I replied, “So, that place where you drive down that road and get to the end, and it has a name now and a swing?” He said yes, and told me to look for his car. He asked if I knew how to get there and I said "probably." I figured I’d be able to find my way since I had been there before.

When I got to El Paso, I recognized every street. All three of them. But, for a town so small, it sure seems to have a lot of ways to get in and out of it. Every time I turned where I thought I should be going, I wound up going uphill, which was not a good sign. After driving in every possible direction, I finally found the right road.

I saw Dad’s car so I pulled in six feet behind it. I waved to him out in the stream, got my gear on, and headed out to meet him. After inspecting my tippet and leader, he gave me a new leader and tied on some smaller tippet material for me. (I love Dad.) Then he gave me a tiny fly, which reminded me that I need to start bringing my glasses along.

The trout were rising, but not as much as Dad had seen them previously. I wound up with two hits; I saw both fish rise and

jump up out of the water for my fly, which is always exciting. Although I was rusty on setting the hook, my casting arm had come right back, and it felt great to lay the line out on the rippling water, while listening to robins and red-wing blackbirds, and feeling water seep into my left boot.

After a bit, Dad thought we should try a different spot, partly because there wasn’t much action where we were, but also because of my leaky boot. So we drove to Spring Valley to try the Eau Galle. When we got there I said “Please tell me I can keep the same fly on?” But he said nope, I needed to put on a nymph. Thankfully the hole on that fly was much bigger and I was fishing in a jiffy. We fished until I had to get back home to make dinner, so I headed back, much more relaxed than I’ve been in weeks.

A scene from Jennifer's day on the rivers with her dad.

6 | RIPRAP MAY 2020

From the Field: Monitoring UpdateOur chapter's monitoring efforts continue, even during a global pandemic! The Willow River is one of the several local rivers and streams that we monitor for water temperature and other variables. In April of 2016, temperature loggers were installed at three locations. One is located at the USGS water-flow monitoring site roughly a quarter mile downstream from Little Falls Dam. The other two are located roughly a quarter mile upstream from the Trout Brook Road bridge, one in the Main Branch and one in the Race.

The 2018 / 2019 data retrieved from the logger in the Race showed a minimum water temperature, in January 2018, of 32.04 degrees Fahrenheit (about as close to freezing as you can get!) to a maximum water temperature, in July 2019, of 76.0 degrees Fahrenheit. From what I’ve learned, this large temperature variance doesn’t bode well for trout populations. The water is too cold in the winter and too warm in the summer. An important thing to note is that this data was collected after the Little Falls Dam was removed.

In 2014 it was determined that the Little Falls Dam needed to be replaced. By the fall of 2015, the draw-down of Little Falls Lake was complete, and the dam was removed. This allowed the river to flow freely until early 2020 when a new dam was constructed, and Little Falls Lake began to fill in. As of today, the lake is nearly 100% full.

As our monitoring continues, it will be interesting to see if the dam, and the impoundment behind it, will affect the water temperatures going forward.

—John Kaplan & Kent Johnson

Above: LIttle Falls Lake

Below: Willow River near USGS site

John Kaplan photos

RIPRAP MAY 2020 | 7

Reconnaissance Loren Haas, Tom Schnadt, Dustin Wing and I recently looked at some new easement parcels on the Trimbelle with the intent of evaluating their potential as future habitat restoration projects. We hope to weigh the pluses and minuses of these easements in order to make a decision on where to direct our future restoration efforts.

We met at the corner of Highway 10 and County Road O and proceeded downstream to the two Halvorson easements. This is some really nice water that is fishable right now but could benefit from some bank work and tree removal in some spots. An active bald eagle nest near the upstream end of the easement would prohibit any work being done there.

From there we went upriver to the Thompson easement which is just downstream of the bridge at County Road O near the Gaslight. Though this stretch of river is in bad shape, the easement covers only one bank which would make project work not a viable option at this time.

Next up was the Thom easement off of 650th Avenue—a long stretch of water with the easement covering both banks. The lower end is fairly open and fishable at this point but, the upstream portion is a box elder jungle with trees toppled into the wide, sandy bottom channel.

Next up were three new easements on the Harsdorf property just a little downstream of the Highway 65 bridge. The upper two

portions of the easement do not currently have any means of legal access short of wading upstream or downstream from the nearest bridge. The lowermost section of easement is currently accessible and showed signs of angler activity (numerous beer cans and bottles near the bridge parking spot). There is currently an active beaver dam halfway up the easement with the water backed up and pooling behind it.

Last but not least, we looked at an easement near Beldenville on Goose Creek, a Trimbelle tributary. It was another box elder jungle with toppled trees and a wide, shallow, sand bottom with few places for trout to hide. A three-foot high beaver dam at the lower end of this easement backed up water for several hundred yards.

Winter Brushing We finished up our winter brushing work in March with a series of four workdays on the Valentine and Krueger easements just upstream of the County Road J bridge on the Kinni. Unfortunately, our work left the Valentines less than delighted with the outcome. We had delayed starting the work for one week because the landowner wished to be present while the work was being done. During the first workday, following a conversation with the landowner, both Loren Haas and I had the impression that we'd been given the green light to cut any and all box elder and buckthorn in the

stream corridor, even outside the boundaries of the easement. The landowner was under the mistaken impression that the easement was 28-feet wide while in fact it was 66-feet wide. The landowner took issue with some tag alders that were unfortunately cut with stumps left behind at a higher-than-anticipated height. A subsequent workday was held to re-cut the stumps to near-ground level and to retreat them with herbicide. The outcome from all of this is that more planning will be undertaken for future brushing days with both Kasey Yallaly and myself conducting a site visit to meet with landowners prior to work being done. An effort will also be made to mark trees which are not to be cut as an aid to some of the chainsaw operators who have difficulty distinguishing between species.

Seeding/MulchingNate Anderson will be working at Plum Creek this summer and we can probably expect to have one or more seeding/mulching days, provided that they will be allowed under the current restrictions.

Get out there and do some fishing. While you are out, let me know if you have a favorite fishing spot where an easement is currently in place but which could use some maintenance work on the bank in order to make it more accessible to fishermen. —Randy Arnold

From the Field: Habitat Update

A drone photograph of the Van Holtum property on Plum Creek courtesy of Mark Peerenboom.

8 | RIPRAP MAY 2020

“To write is human, to edit is divine.” – Stephen King An appreciation by Jonathan Jacobs

I received a note from RipRap editor Maria Manion yesterday thanking me

for writing for RipRap through her tenure as editor. This was a classy and kind gesture, one typical of Maria. I thought as I read it that she had it backward, that I ought to thank her for allowing me to write for the splendid publication that she produced and that I ought to thank her for being a careful and skilled editor.

In his introduction to the twentieth anniversary of his book Trout Bum, John Gierach wrote about the beginnings of his career. He wrote of early pieces with “pretty, indulgent mistakes, with the superfluous passages having been removed by a sharp editor.” Of Slaton White of Field and Stream and Jay Casell of Sports Afield he said that they were “two people who lightly edited my stories so that they were exactly the way I’d written them, but just noticeably better.” While I am no John Gierach, Maria knew how to make my writing noticeably better. One example: An article that I wrote recently appeared in RipRap at about nine hundred words. As submitted to her, it ran to more than thirteen hundred. Maria excised nearly one third of the content and tweaked the remainder of it. The finished piece was superior in every way to the original. I blush at that.

I submitted other things that seemed to me, even as I sent them, to be flat and dull, but they stirred to life when Maria coupled them with evocative photographs or highlighted one of the few decent sentences in them. And on the rare occasions when things went right, Maria was effusive in her praise. I can’t speak for other contributors, but I’d wager they have had the same experience. And speaking of other contributors, the group that Maria has recruited to write for the newsletter is simply remarkable. The variety of voices and viewpoints is not only refreshing, it reminds us of the diversity within a group with a common interest.

Creating a handsome publication is no mean feat. Every editor of RipRap in recent times has improved its appearance, but Maria’s version will be challenging to improve upon. The clean appearance,

logical and sensible layout and sharp illustrations create an organic whole that, while not gaudy, is nonetheless striking.

Maria’s contributions to Kiap-TU-Wish extend far beyond the stellar job she’s done with RipRap to include grant writing, and working with other members on activities like the Spring Appeal, Belle Riviere Book Club, and Scouts and Trout stream game. I asked chapter president Scott Wagner about Maria. I’ll close with his heartfelt and eloquent reply:

Maria has been a great member of our Kiap board. In her six years as editor of RipRap, she has taken it from a nice, normal newsletter into every issue being an well-orchestrated work of art. Maria has cultivated a cadre of contributors, such as yourself, made herself a central point for collecting photographs about our chapter’s service and life, and added a touch of beauty and life to each of her

publications. Since only 15-20% of our chapter members come to our meetings or take part in our activities, Maria and the newsletter she has put together for the past six years really is how 80-85% of our members experience Kiap-TU-Wish.

In addition, Maria has contributed behind the scenes by heading our chapter’s informal communications committee. She also took the initiative, along with this committee, to update our conference display with the upright screens which colorfully and beautifully articulate Kiap’s mission.

The one thing that I can’t close without mentioning is that Maria brought herself, which is to say, kindness, an appreciation of beauty, a love for the natural world, competency and class to Kiap-TU-Wish’s board of directors. We will all sincerely miss her after she retires from our board this spring.

Scott Thorpe photo

Maria with a Lake Superior Coaster.

RIPRAP MAY 2020 | 9

Kiap-TU-Wish Board Members & Contact Info

Randy Arnold randyca999@gmail.com

Suzanne Constantini / Treasurersmccon26@gmail.com

Loren Haas loraud2@gmail.com

Gary Horvath / Vice Presidentgaryjhorvath42@comcast.net

John Kaplan jmk8990@comcast.net

Pete Kilibarda pkilibarda@spa.edu

Maria Manion manion.maria@gmail.com

Greg Olson Greg.Olson@diasorin.com

Perry Palin perrypalin05@gmail.com

Linda Radimeckyliradimecky@comcast.net

Tom Schnadt / Ex-Officio Board Member thschnad@hotmail.com

Scot Stewart scotstewart2@gmail.com

Scott Wagner / Presidentjswagner@bremer.com

Dustin Wingdustinrwing@gmail.com

KiapTUWish.orgWebsite Administrator: Ken Hanson Website Design: Meyer Creative

RipRap Editor: Maria Manion Printer: Bob BradhamProofreaders: Bob Trevis & Judy Lutter Stamps/Seals/Mailing: Sandy & Dick Krumm

RipRap Contributors:Mike Alwin is a chapter member and contributed this year's collection of dry fly recipes. If you want a copy of all, email manion.maria@gmail.com.

Jonathan Jacobs is RipRap's monthly columnist. You can contact him at turiprap@hotmail.com.

Judy Mahle Lutter is a chapter member and RipRap's roving reporter and proofreader.

Jennifer Medley is a chapter member and frequent contributor to RipRap.

FLY TIER'S CORNER A Bonus Fly: Double Wing Trude by Mike Alwin

When I started fishing out west back in the seventies, I carried an oddball assortment of flies, single copies of patterns that I found in books and maybe a magazine or two. I seem to remember a Spuddler, a Black Nose Dace, a Golden Stonefly Nymph, some kind of grey nymph, plus quite a few Humpies. Western trout love Humpies. Western fly shops love Humpies too, because they’re not very durable. The elk hair stretched over the back of the Humpy is easily shredded by sharp trout teeth and when your last Humpy is toast, you need a fly shop to resupply. Western fly shops love Humpies.

In the eighties I discovered the Trude and the Wulff dry flies. The most ubiquitous Trude is the Royal Trude. It’s suitably gaudy in its peacock and red raiments and it can be fished upstream or down, wet or dry. It’s also available in lime and grey and probably a few other colors. The Wulff, courtesy of the fertile mind of Lee Wulff, is a terrific mayfly imitation for fast water. Its large, heavily hackled profile makes an easily seen morsel for trout and it’s way more durable than the Humpy. I carried them in gray, white, Royal and grizzly and they all worked.

In the nineties I finally got around to Randall Kaufmann’s Stimulator, a dry fly for the ages. This confection is a fully hackled stonefly imitation but makes a dynamite grasshopper pattern as well. Small black Stimulators work for dark caddis and winter stoneflies, while the larger orange, yellow and green patterns can work for just about anything else. However, it should be pointed out that western trout will also happily eat any number of our local flies. In the last twenty years my best flies out west have come from our local fly bins; these successful flies include Skip Wet, Harry’s Havoc, the Tung Head Whiskey Nymph and the Bread & Butter Caddis.

When Maria, our Rip-Rap editor, asked me to offer some dry flies based on the insect series over the last three years, I was hesitant. First, I’m a better teacher of fly tying than I am a fly tier. Second, I have only a limited number of patterns to offer based on a limited number of hatches. This last fly has nothing to do with previous articles. It’s a bonus fly. I found it in the TCTU newsletter a couple of years ago written by some guy named Paul Johnson. Paul credited Walter Wiese at Parks Fly Shop with the pattern which he calls the Synth Double Wing. Paul calls his version the Double Wing Trude. I tied up a few and fished them out west. Killers.

In this recipe I’ve substituted peacock-flavored rabbit fur mixed with polypropylene dry fly dubbing to try to address floatability issues. I’ve substituted polypropylene floating yarn for the overwing to address availability issues. I added elk to the tail and secured it two thirds of the way up the shank to also help the fly float. Anyway, here’s Paul’s recipe:

Hook: Standard shank dry fly, 10-14

Tail: Amber Z-Lon or antron

Abdomen: Peacock or black antron dubbing

Rib: Grizzly rooster hackle

Underwing: Elk hair

Overwing: White Montana Fly Widows Web

Collar: Brown rooster over peacock or black antron dubbing

Kiap-TU-Wish Chapter #168P.O. Box 483Hudson, WI 54016

www.kiaptuwish.org

May 6th Chapter Meeting at 7pmZoom with Kiap-TU-WishKiap's May 6th Chapter Meeting is going to be held online via Zoom

• Scott Wagner will give an update on chapter activities• Nate Anderson will discuss 2020 stream restoration work• Kasey Yallaly will provide updated stream survey information

Watch for an email on May 4th that will include the agenda and link to join the meeting. If you have any questions about joining the call, please email a board member; they are happy to help!

We hope to see you online!